Campylobacter Enteritis

Campylobacter enteritis is a disease caused by bacteria belonging to the family Campylobacter. Symptoms of Campylobacter enteritis include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and fever. It is spread by consuming contaminated food or water, or through contact with an infected animal or person. For more information, see the health unit's fact sheet on Campylobacter

The following graph shows the number of Campylobacter enteritis cases in Simcoe Muskoka between 2000 and 2016. In the past ten years, there have been between 81 and 134 cases of Campylobacter enteritis reported every year. An investigation into the 2007 cases found an increase in the proportion of travel-acquired campylobacter enteritis cases compared to previous years. In 2016, 134 cases of campylobacter enteritis were reported to the health unit.

Ontario

The following graph shows the incidence rate of Campylobacter enteritis in Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario between 2000 and 2016. Historically, the incidence rate in Simcoe Muskoka has been lower than the Ontario rate, but the difference between the rates has become smaller over the last five years. Both of these rates experienced an overall decrease since 2000. In 2016, the incidence rate for Simcoe Muskoka was 24.1 cases per 100,000 population and the incidence rate for Ontario was 24.7 cases per 100,000 population.

More detailed data for Ontario and each health unit can be found on Public Health Ontario’s interactive Snapshots tool, by clicking on “Select Indicator”.

There are many factors that influence how many cases are reported to the health unit, as explained on the Infectious Diseases page.

Provincial definitions classify cases as confirmed or probable based on clinical and/or laboratory diagnostic criteria. The provincial case definition for campylobacter enteritis changed in April 2009 to include a definition for probable cases whereas before there was no such classification. The definitions of confirmed and probable cases from 2009 onwards are comparable to confirmed cases before 2009.